Jake stirred but did not wake.
Christine covered her mouth, weeping silently.
I wanted to hold her. I also wanted answers. The two impulses fought within me until I felt divided into separate people.
Finally, I touched her shoulder.
She turned and pressed her face against my chest.
“I should have come sooner,” she whispered. “I should have believed him immediately.”
“What happened at the house?”
She stepped away and looked at Daniel.
“Not in front of him.”
“You can speak freely,” Daniel said.
“That’s exactly what people like you always say.”
He accepted the remark without reaction and left the room.
Christine lowered herself into the chair.
“Dad called me after Jake was taken away. He was panicking. He said there had been an accident and that Jake had misunderstood what happened.”
“Where were you during the incident?”
“Upstairs with Mom. She wasn’t feeling well.”
“You heard nothing?”
